Forming die



9, 1930- R. J. CURTIS 7 1,734,579

FORMING DIE Filed Oct. 10, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet l ml ill li B. J Gurh's R. J. CURTIS FORMING DIE Dec. 9, 1930.

Tiled Oct. 10, 1928 4' Sheets-Sheet s Ill gwvewto'o [2. J Garb;

1930' R. J. CURTIS 1,734,579

FORMING DIE Filed Oct. 10, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Cab Patented Dec. 9, 1930 Niran STATES PATENT orricsf nowLnNnJonN CURTIS, or DOVER, OHIO, ASSIGNOR To. THE REEVES MANUFACTUR- ,ING COMPANY, 0]? DOVER, OHIO, A oonrolm'rron on OHIO FORMING DIE Application filed October 10, 1928. Serial'No.'311, 617.

The invention relates to dies for forming corrugated sheet metal containers, and particularly'such containers commonly known to the trade as baskets, and usually made in one-half bushel, bushel, and one and onehalf bushel capacity; and the present ap plication is a continuation of the common subject matter contained in my copending application, Serial No. 238,077, filed Decem her 6, 1927 for forming dies. This apparatus 1s an improvement ove apparatus now in use for forming corrugated,

sheet metal baskets and the like, as it provides for forming the articles of the lightest gauge sheets without the formation of wrinkles, kinks or breaks in the metal, while with the methods now in use, only heavier gauges of metal may be successfully formed.

Attempts have been made to form such articles with the use of a stationary die but the same have not beensatisfactory,.particularly where lighter gauge sheets are used as there is a decided tendency. for the sheets to wrinkle, kink or break when being formed.

It is also known that in order to overcome this breaking or kinking of the metal, attempts havebeen made to form such articles by moving the sheet blank step by step with relation to the stationary die, requiring a number of successive operationsin order to complete the formation of a single basket. V 1

The present invention contemplates the use of a movable die which moves downward with the inward movement of a plurality of corrugating fingers, whereby the basket is formed in a single continuous operation, thus obviating the objections and difiiculties present in the apparatus above referred to,

the basket being formed without breaks or kinks in the metal and in a single operation which saves considerable time and labor over the method of moving the sheet blank step by step.

The object of the improvement is to provide a movable die having tapered corruga tions therein, a plurality of corrugating fingers, corresponding in number to the corrugations 1n the die being located around the and a g- 5, a plan view of the die and corrugatposition as illus- 2 die and arranged to be moved toward the corrugated die to form a sheet metal cylinder or the like'around the die, the corrugatingfin'gers pressing the sheet metal into the corrugations of the die; means being provided for moving the die in unison with the movement of the fingers until the final stage of the operation, when the die is held against further. movementwhile the fingers complete the corrugating of the basket.

An embodiment of the invention adapted for'forming sheet metal baskets, of the character above referred to, is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is-avertical sectional view of the improved apparatus illustrating the counterweighted lever for normally holding the movable die in raised position, the bell being shown in" lowered position and the corrugating'fingers in the operative position to form a corrugated basket upon the movable die which is shown in the lowered o-r operative position 1 Fig. 2, an enlarged sectional viewv through the improved die and bell showing the same in the initial or raised position with a sheet blank positioned upon the die ready to be sheet metal basket body being formed upon t the die;

Fig. 4, a section on the line 4-4, Fig. 3;

ing fingers in the initial trated1nF1gz2. l 1 i Similar numerals refer to slmllar parts throughout the drawings. 7

Although the invention is applicable to the forming of articles of various shapes, it is especially adapted for forming corrugated sheet metal baskets and for the purpose of illustration, the same is shown in the accompanying drawings as designed for forming thecorrugated body portions of sheet metal. baskets and the like. 7

The bed plate 10 is supported upon suitable uprights 1 1 and provided with the central 7:

A plate 19 may be connected to thel'ower" end portions of the rods17 and provided with a depending lug 20 pivoted as at 21 to one end of the counterbalancing lever 22.

This lever may be fulcrumed .intermediate its extremities as at 23 upon any suitable sup- .port such as shown at 24, which may be provided with a plurality of openings 25 to receive the pivot bolt 23 for the purpose of adjusting the movement of the die.

Any desired number of counterweights 26 may be mounted upon the upright rod 27 at the outer end ofthe counterbalancing lever and if desired, a stop lug 28 may be fixed upon the under side of said end of the lever for contact with the floor to limit-the upward movement of the die 15. i V

As illustrated in the drawings, the die 15 may be rounded toconform to the shape of the body portion of baskets of the kind to'be formed thereon and is preferably located in an inverted position as shown.

This die is provided upon its outer surface with the longitudinally disposed'tapered corrugations 29, starting at a point 30 near the lower portion of the die and increasing in'depth to the central opening 31 at the top of the die. g 'It should be understood that the basket body is formed in inverted posit-ion upon the die block, the corrugations formed in the bmket extending from a point near the upper edge ofthe basket body and increasing in depth toward the bottom thereof, the metal being thus corrugated to produce the rounded shape desired in articles of this character.

The curved corrugating fingers 32 are shaped to conform to the corrugations 30 in the die block,'and each may be pivoted at its lower end as at 33 upon ears 3 1 fixed upon the top of the ring portion 13 of the bed plate.

Each corrugating finger may be provided at its lower end portion with the angular stop lug 35 for contact with the upper surface of the ring portion 13 when the fingers are in the open or initial position best illustrated in Fig. 2.

Coil springs 36 maybe connected to the eyes 37 upon the corrugating fingers and to eyes 38 upon the bed plate fornormally urging the fingers outward toward the initial or open position as shown in Fig. 2.

' For the purpose of operating the corrugating fingers, a vertically movable bell 39 may be provided and arranged to cooperate with the corrugating fingers for universally moving the same toward the die. This bell may be carried upon a plunger rod 40 adapted to be vertically moved by any usual and well known means. i

- Inorder to move the die block downward in unison with the inward movement of the corrugating fingers, a block 41 may depend from'the' central portion of the bell for con tact with the annular shoulder 42 at the upper end of the die.

This blockmay have a cushion block of soft rubber or the like shown at 43 interposed between the same and the under surface of the bell,the block 41 and rubber cushion being both Vertically movable upon the guide bolts 44 depending from the bell.

This permits the downward movement of the bell to move the die 15 downward, against the urge of the counterweight 26 as the block 11 contacts with the shoulder 42 of the die and permits the corrugating fingers 32 to be forced inward toward the die, forming the sheet metal blank around the die but not forcing the fingers entirely into the corrugations of the die until the parts reach the final position as shown in Fig. 3, at which time the rubber cushion. 43 will be compressed as illustratedin sald figure, permitting further inward movement of the corrugating fingers,

after the die has reachedits lowermost position, thus completmg the corrugations 1n the basket body.

' In operating the apparatus to form the body of a basket or the like, the bell is raised, permitting the springs 36 to draw the corrugating fingers into theopen or initial position illustrated in Fig 2.

A cylindric sheet metal blank of proper size is then placed around the die 15 as indicated at A in said figure, the lower end' of the cylindric blank seating upon the shoulder 45 in the ring 13. Thebell is then lowered toward the die, the inner surface of the bell contacting with the corrugating fingers and moving the same toward the die.

As the block 41 contacts with the shoulder 42 of the die, it will be seen that the die 15 will be carried downward in unison with the movement of the bell, the corrugating fingers at the same time continuing to move toward the die.

As the corrugating fingers are moved inward, they will bend and form the sheet metal around the die, starting the bending and forming of the sheet metal blank at the point 5 and continuing the bending and forming of the blank toward the bottom thereof as the die descends.

In actual practice, the upper end of the cylindric sheet metal blank is located about one inch away from the die 15 as the corrugating fingers start to move inward toward the die and as the die moves downward in unison with the bell, while the sheet metal blank remains stationary, the bending and forming of the sheet metal inward toward the die is thus carried on uniformly and gradually, preventing buckling or breaking of the sheet metal and producing a uniformly corrugated basket body.

lVhen' the die 15 reaches the lower limit of its movement and rests upon the bed plate, at this instant the blank will be formed entirely around the die, the fingers registering with the corresponding corrugationsin the die but not having been forced entirely into the corrugations at this point.

Further downward movement of the bell will compress the cushion l3, without further downward movement oi tl e die, driving each corrugating finger iome into the corre sponding corrugation in the die as "'hown in Figs. 3 and 4 and completing the body por-' tion of the basket as illustrated at A in said figures. y j v The bell is then raised, permitting the fingers to be pulled out-oi contactwith the finishedbasket body and returned to their initial positions by means oi the springs 86 and the counterweighted lever ill raise the die to the initial position.

Any suitable means may be provided for raising the finished basket body from the die but the same forms no part of the present in vention and, therefore, is not illustrated.

The corrugations in the basket body, adj acent to the central opening in the bottom thereof, may be flattened in any suit-able manner and a separate bottom placed in the central opening and connected to the body to form thecomplete basket.

Although the invention is illustrated as adapted for forming the rounded body of a sheet metal basket or the like, it should be understood that various shapes and forms of sheet metal articles may be made by apparatus falling within the scope oi the invention by merely changing the shape of the die and corrugating fingers to conform to the article to be formed thereon.

It should be understood that although the main principles and operation of the improved apparatus are clearly illustrated and described, the exact mechanical details oi": the invention as actually used in practice may not be shown to exact scale and other minor features of construction have been disregarded.

I claim:

1. Forming apparatus including a longitudinally movable central die, curved fingers movably mounted adjacent to the die, means tor moving the fingers toward the die, and means for simultaneously longitudinally moving the die relative to the fingers, to form a sheet metal article upon the die.

2. Forming apparatus including a longitudinally movable central die, curved fingers pivotally mounted adjacent to the die, means for moving the fingers toward the die, and means for simultaneously longitudinally moving the die relative to the fingers, to form a sheet metal article upon the die. 7

3. Forming apparatus including a longitudinally movable die, curved fingers movably mounted adjacent to the die, a movable bell for moving the fingerstoward the die, and means for simultaneously longitudinally moving the'die relative to the fingers, to form a sheet metal article upon the die.

l. Forming apparatus including a longitudinally movable die, curved fingers pivotally mounted adjacent to the die, a movable bell for moving the fingers toward the die, andmeans for simultaneously longitudinally moving the die relative to the fingers to form a sheet metal article upon the die.

5. Forming apparatus including a longitudinally movable die, curved fingers pivotally mounted adjacent to the die, a movable bell for moving the fingers toward the die, and means carried by the bell for longitudinally moving the die relative to the fingers to form a sheet metal article upon the die with one stroke of the bell.

6. Forming apparatus including a longitudinally movable die, curved fingers pivotaliy mounted adjacent to the die, a movable bell or moving the fingers toward the die, and means for longitudmally moving the die relative to the fingers in unison with the bell to form a sheet metal article upon the die with one stroke of the bell. I

'2". Forming appar'atus'including a longitudinally movable die, curved fingers pivotally'mounted upon stationary pivots adjacent to the die, a movable bell for moving the fingers toward the die, and means carried by the bell for longitudinally movin the die relative to the fingers to form a sheet metal article upon the die with one stroke of the bell.

8. Forming apparatus including a longitudinally movable die, curved fingers pivotally mounted upon stationary pivots adjacent'to the die, a movable bell for moving the fingers toward the'die, and means for longitudinally moving the die relative to the fingers in unison with the bell to form a sheet metal article upon the die with one stroke of the bell. I

9. Forming apparatus including a longitudinally movable corrugated die, curved fingers movably mounted adjacent-to the die, means for moving the fingers toward the die, means for simultaneously longitudinally moving the die relative to the fingers, and means for stopping the movement of the die while the fingers are still moving toward the die, for forming a corrugated sheet metal article upon the die. i

10. Forming apparatus including a longitudinally movable corrugated die, curved fingers pivotally mounted adjacent to the die, means for moving the fingers toward the die, means for simultaneously longitudinally moving the die relative to the fingers, and means for stopping the movement oi the die while the fingers are still moving toward the die, -for forming a corrugated sheet metal article upon the die.

11. Forming apparatus including a longitudinally movable corrugated die, curved fingers pivotally mounted upon stationary pivots adjacent to the die, means for moving the fingers toward the die, means for simultaneously longitudinally moving the die relative to the fingers, and means for stopping the movement of the die while the fingers are still moving toward the die, for forming a corrugated sheet metal article upon the die.

12. Formin apparatus including a longitudinally movable corrugated die, curved fingers movably mounted adjacent to the die, a movable bell for moving the fingerstoward the die, means for simultaneously longitudinally moving the die relative to the fin-' gers, and means for stopping the movement or the die while the fingers are still moving toward the die, for forming a corrugated sheet metal article upon the die.

' 13. Forming apparatusincluding a longtudinally movable corrugated die, curved fingers movably mounted adjacent to the die, a movable bell for moving the fingerstoward the die, means for simultaneously longitudinally moving the die relative to the fingers in unison with the bell, and means for stopping the movement of the die while the fingers are still moving toward the die,'for forming a corrugated sheet metal article upon the die. 7

14. Forming apparatus including a longitudinally movable corrugated die, curved fingers movably mounted adjacent to the die, a movable bell for moving the fingers toward the die, means upon the bell for longitudinally moving the die relative to the fingers, and means for stopping the movement of the die while the fingers are still moving toward the die, for forming a corrugated sheet metal article upon the die.

15. Forming apparatus including a longitudinally movable corrugated die, curved fingers movably mounted adjacent to the die, a movable bell for moving the fingers toward the die, a cushion member upon the bell for longitudinally moving the die relative to the fingers, and means for stopping the movement of the die while the fingers are still moving toward the die, for forming a corrugated sheet metal article upon the die.

16. Forming apparatus including a longitudinally movable corrugated die, curved fingers pivotally mounted adjacent to the die, a movable bell for moving the fingers toward the die, a cushion member upon the bell for longitudinally moving the die relative to the fingers, and means for stopping the movement of the die while the fingers are still moving toward the die, for forming a corrugated sheet metal article upon the die.

17. Forming apparatus including a longitudinally movable corrugated die, curved fingers pivotally mounted upon stationary pivots adj acent to the die, a movable bell for moving the fingers toward the die, a cushion member upon the bell for longitudinally moving the die relative to the fingers, and means for stopping the movement of the die while the fingers are still moving toward the die, for forming a corrugated sheet metal article upon the die.

18. Forming apparatus including a longitudinally movable central die having tapered corrugations formed thereon, curved fingers pivotally mounted adjacent to the die and adapted to register with said corrugations, single means for moving the fingers toward the die and for simultaneously moving the die relative to the fingers to form a sheet metal article upon the die.

19. Forming apparatus including a longitudinally movable central die having tapered corrugations formed thereon, curved fingers pivotally mounted adjacent to the die and adapted to register with said corrugations, single means for moving the fingers toward the die and for simultaneously moving the die relative to the fingers, the tapered corrugations and curved fingers coacting to continuously form a corrugated sheet metal article-upon the die.

In testimony that I claim the above, I have hereunto subscribed my name;

ROWLAND JOHN CURTIS. 

